1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a general screening method for the discovery and identification of both inhibitors and activators of enzymes, receptors, and other proteins. In particular, it is concerned with a method of screening for substances which specifically inhibit or activate a particular protein affecting the cultural or morphological characteristics of the cell expressing the protein, especially in a manner apparent to the naked eye.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
A number of assay systems are currently in use for the discovery of new modulators of cell growth, and in particular, in the search for new anti-cancer drugs which are specifically toxic to cancer cells but not to normal cells. A variety of changes may be scored for, but the most common ones are reversion of the transformed phenotype, significant changes in cell morphology, or cytotoxicity. The assays include: (1) in vitro cytotoxicity assays; (2) soft agar colony formation assays; (3) in vitro anti-microbial assays; and (4) assays which detect changes in cellular morphology.
In vitro cytotoxicity assays involve the measurement of cellular parameters which are indicative of inhibition of cellular growth or cytotoxicity. These include, for example, the measurement of the inhibition of certain cellular metabolic pathways in response to treatment with cytotoxic agents. The papers by Von Hoff, et al. (1985), and Catino, et al. (1985) describe typical methods which use this technique. These methods are somewhat complex technically, and require the use of radioactive tracers in some cases. Furthermore, the results are non-specific since any agent which alters the growth properties of cells will score positively in these assay systems.
Agents have also been tested for their ability to inhibit transformed (cancerous) cells from growing in soft agar. This method is based upon the finding by Freedman and Shin (1974) that the formation of colonies of cells in soft agar is the in vitro test which shows the highest correlation in predicting whether the cells will be tumorigenic in an experimental animal. This method is relatively simple to perform since colony growth will, after two or more weeks, generally be large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Scoring the final results, therefore, can be performed either by a technician without extensive training in tissue culture, or, as we describe in the current application, by an automated absorbance detection system. In its present form, however, this method is also non-specific for the same reasons as described above. In other words, any agent which inhibits cellular growth in any way will scores positively in this assay system as it is currently used, whether or not it inhibits the protein of interest.
In vitro anti-microbial assays involve the use of bacterial or yeast strains which are used as test organisms for screening for agents with generalized growth inhibitory properties (also described in Catino, et al., 1985). In this method, the bacterial or yeast strain is grown on standard media plates and potential agents are applied to various spots on the plates. If an agent has growth inhibitory properties, a clear zone results at the site of its application on the plate, resulting from the inability of the test strain to grow in the area. This method is rapid and can be performed by a technician without extensive training in tissue culture techniques, but the results are generally non-specific because agents which are effective against bacterial or yeast strains are frequently less effective (or completely ineffective) in modulating the growth of mammalian cells, as shown in the paper by Catino et al. (1985).
Still other screening systems depend upon a morphologic alteration of the test cells by exposure to the potential agents in order to determine the effectiveness of a given agent. This method is currently the most effective one for developing specific agents which interact with a given protein or alter a specific cellular property, as evidenced by the representative paper by Uehara, et. al. (1985). However, these screening systems are the most difficult ones to apply in practice, since the morphologic effect of each individual agent on the test cells must be studied under the microscope. Hence this method requires extensive observations of the cells by a trained scientist.